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Freestanding Glass-and-Steel Mass-Transit Hub Will Connect
PATH to Ferries and Subway Service across Lower Manhattan

The world caught its first glimpse today of the Port Authority’s enduring monument to the heroism of September 11, 2001, when world-renowned architect Santiago Calatrava unveiled soaring, spectacular design concepts for the bistate agency’s World Trade Center Transportation Hub, which will significantly improve mass-transit connections across Lower Manhattan.

The glass roof above the hub’s freestanding grand pavilion, featuring ribbed arches that evoke a cathedral, will open each year on the anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Glass-and-steel wings will rise up to 150 feet. Natural light will reach rail platforms 60 feet below street level.

“This is the Port Authority’s gift to New York City,” Mr. Calatrava said. “It will be a lamp of hope in the middle of Lower Manhattan, creating an unbroken line of natural light from the platforms to the sky.”

Flanked by New York Governor George E. Pataki and New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Mr. Calatrava also said the $2 billion World Trade Center Transportation Hub will include:

A permanent Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) terminal that eventually will serve more than 80,000 daily PATH riders, including tens of thousands of commuters and millions of annual visitors to the World Trade Center Memorial.

Pedestrian connections that will significantly improve access to PATH, ferries and subway lines across Lower Manhattan. By 2020, these connections are expected to accommodate 250,000 daily commuters and visitors.

Greater open space in the Wedge of Light Plaza and additional access from Church Street to the Memorial District.

State-of-the-art safety, security and environmental enhancements.

Mr. Calatrava said the Transportation Hub will serve as a source of inspiration for the heroes, survivors and families of September 11, as well as those who live in, work in and visit Lower Manhattan.

Last summer, the Port Authority selected the Downtown Design Partnership, in association with Mr. Calatrava, to design the World Trade Center Transportation Hub. The partnership is led by the joint venture of DMJM + Harris and STV Group, Inc. – two of the world’s most successful and respected architectural/engineering firms.

Governor Pataki said, “The soaring design for the World Trade Center Transportation Hub completes the promise of Daniel Libeskind’s master plan for the site, skillfully complementing the designs for the 1,776-foot Freedom Tower and the Memorial. Santiago Calatrava’s masterpiece will one day take its rightful place among New York City’s most inspiring architectural icons. Millions of commuters and visitors will pass through this spectacular new transit hub when they come to Lower Manhattan.”

New Jersey Governor James E. McGreevey said, “The World Trade Center Transportation Hub will make a statement to the world: The people of this region are undaunted in the face of the forces of evil. The design for this spectacular structure clearly shows that we are fully committed to rebuilding our infrastructure and restoring normalcy to our lives.”

Mayor Bloomberg said, “Today we unveil the design of downtown’s new PATH station and we imagine that future generations will look at this building as a true record of our lives today as we rebuild our city. What will they see in Santiago Calatrava’s thrilling work? They’ll see creativity in design, and strength in construction. They’ll see confidence in our investment in a stunning gateway to what will always be the ‘Financial Capital of the World.’ They’ll see a seamless connection to the PATH train, city subways, and ultimately, to our regional airports. And they’ll see optimism – a building appearing to take flight – just like the neighborhood it serves.”

Port Authority Chairman Anthony R. Coscia said, “Our most important priority at the World Trade Center site is the creation of a Memorial that will pay tribute to the heroes of September 11, including the 84 members of the Port Authority family who sacrificed their lives on that terrible day. Our next priority is to create a 21st century mass-transit network that will serve commuters and visitors to Lower Manhattan. Santiago Calatrava’s Transportation Hub – a work of unsurpassed beauty – will meet the region’s needs while inspiring the world for generations to come.”

Port Authority Vice Chairman Charles A. Gargano said, “The World Trade Center Transportation Hub will enable a quarter-million daily travelers to reach their destinations across Lower Manhattan faster and more conveniently. Much as the rehabilitation of Grand Central Terminal has sparked the revitalization of midtown, the restoration and enhancement of Lower Manhattan’s transportation system will accelerate the economic recovery of the nation’s third-largest business district.”

Port Authority Executive Director Joseph J. Seymour said, “The significance of the World Trade Center Transportation Hub is nothing short of historic. We will finally untangle Lower Manhattan’s knotted network of confusing mass-transit connections, which have hindered this part of the city for a century.”

The permanent World Trade Center Transportation Hub will feature seamless pedestrian connections to the World Financial Center and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s proposed Fulton Street Transit Center. Lower Manhattan residents, commuters and visitors will enjoy far faster access to ferry service along the Hudson River, and to 14 Lower Manhattan subway lines – the 1/9, 2/3, 4/5, N/R, A/C/E and J/M/Z. The World Trade Center Transportation Hub also is being designed to accommodate potential rail service to John F. Kennedy International Airport or other destinations.

The Permanent PATH Terminal is expected to begin serving passengers by the end of 2006. All elements of the World Trade Center Transportation Hub are scheduled for completion by 2009.

The Port Authority is in the middle of the environmental review process for the World Trade Center Transportation Hub, which is being developed in cooperation with the Federal Transit Administration.

A temporary PATH station opened at the World Trade Center site on November 23, 2003. The temporary station – the final piece of the Port Authority’s $566 million program to restore PATH service as quickly as possible between New Jersey and Lower Manhattan – was the first public space to open within the World Trade Center site since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Ridership at the temporary World Trade Center PATH station already is exceeding initial projections.

The temporary station is an open-air facility that provides a basic level of passenger service. It does not include many of the customer amenities that existed in the World Trade Center PATH station prior to September 11, 2001, such as heating, air conditioning and rest rooms. Those customer amenities will be restored in the permanent World Trade Center Transportation Hub.

The Port Authority began service in 1962 on the Port Authority Trans-Hudson system, more commonly known as PATH, after taking over the system from the bankrupt Hudson and Manhattan Railroad. The system was originally built in 1908, and the tunnels linking New York and New Jersey were the first passenger rail connections between the two states.

Before September 11, 2001, the PATH rapid-transit rail system of 13 stations carried approximately 260,000 daily passengers between New York and New Jersey. Today, PATH carries approximately 180,000 daily passengers. Prior to September 11, 2001, approximately 67,000 daily passengers boarded PATH at the World Trade Center.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey operates many of the busiest and most important transportation links in the region. They include John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International, LaGuardia and Teterboro airports; AirTrain JFK and AirTrain Newark; the George Washington Bridge; the Lincoln and Holland tunnels; the three bridges between Staten Island and New Jersey; the PATH (Port Authority Trans-Hudson) rapid-transit rail system; the Downtown Manhattan Heliport; Port Newark; the Elizabeth-Port Authority Marine Terminal; the Howland Hook Marine Terminal on Staten Island; the Brooklyn Piers/Red Hook Container Terminal; and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in midtown Manhattan. The agency also owns the 16-acre World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan. The Port Authority is financially self-supporting and receives no tax revenue from either state.

What a relief! No less than what I expected from Calatrava, which is great. Flanked by world-class skyscrapers (Foster, Nouvel, et al), this is going to be awesome. I like how it's a free-standing structure, ameliorating the increasingly cluttered and crowded streetscape we were seeing in sucessive renderings.

It works very well with the wedge of light concept, too. Everyone was taking it much more literally than it should have been, though it's hard to figure what Libeskind's original intentions were. The allignment of the whole building along that axis is arguably more meaningful than just a wall, as Libeskind intended. I don't know about the opening up every September 11th business; It's a little silly to open up to let the shadow of the Millenium Hilton in.

Oh, and I love the transluscent floors. They're the one thing about the design that must be preserved no matter what revisions are made. The concourse of the old Penn Station had glass tile floors; it was something I would have liked to see. They're still there, under the terazzo. You can see the underside from some places on the lower level.

Very nice design. On a side note, I wonder if it would be economical one day to construct an underground tunnel (with shuttles and/or moving walkways) to travel to Liberty and Ellis islands, and connecting to the transit hub or Battery Park.

Am I the only one who is a little disapointed? The size and scope of this project is minimal compared to other projects he has done. It looks a bit liek a upturend hairclip. Im not totaly disapointed as this is much better than the FT but I was expecting great things from Signor Calatrava. Can someone explain to me this concept of glassy trans-lucent tiles. From the description they sound slippery.

Are the two wings of different sizes? Depending on which rendering you look at, they either look the same or different. I think the asymmetry would add a lot to the project, and would work well with any futuristic towers that go up around it.